The Nightmare Before Yugioh
by BlackRoseDragonCK
Summary: A yugioh version of The Nightmare Before Christmas movie. I do not own Yugioh or The Nightmare Before Christmas. Hand-drawn cover included  a lot of it was cut off .
1. Halloween

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH BY KAZUKI TAKAHASHI OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS BY TIM BURTON, OR THE MUSIC BY DANNY ELFMAN**

**PLEASE READ TO UNDERSTAND**

**Some of the nameless Nightmare characters I have kept as themselves.**

**Cast**

**Yami: Jack (he's not a skeleton, kind of like a ghoul)**

**Tea: Sally (still a gorgeous ragdoll)**

**Yami Bakura: Ooogi Boogie (great villain=great villain, instead of being a fragile sack of bugs, he lives in the shadows and is very sensitive to light. His demise will be different at the end)**

**Kuriboh: Zero (Yami's loyal companion)**

**Noah, Rebecca, Mokuba : Lock, Shock, Barrel**

**Arcana: The Mayor (His mask is part of his face and swivels like the mayor's head)**

**Seto: Dr. Finkelstein (you'll see why at the very end)**

**Joey: Igor (I thought it would be funny for Joey to be the assistant to the guy he hates most in the world who gives him dog treats in Nightmare)**

**Ryo, Duke, Tristan: 3 vampire brothers (couldn't think of anyone else plus minor characters=minor characters)**

**Mai and Serenity: the two witches**

**Vivian: female sea monster**

**Seto Kaiba's dark side: Clown with the tear-away face (I'm just going to call him "the Clown").**

**Rafael: The werewolf**

**Leon, Pegasus, Cecelia: the family with the stitch-eyed little boy that's always on the leash (Yako is from Yugioh R manga)**

**Zorc: Corner man hiding in the trash can (he's small rather than gigantic)**

**Santa=Santa**

**I know it's not October yet, but I'm dying for Halloween to get here! I am trying not to make this story a gigantic songfic, but I'm not sure where I'm going with it, so please, bear with me. This first part is kind of songfic-ish, but it's because the characters are performing.**

'_Twas a long time ago. Longer now than it seems in a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams. For the story that you are about to be told took place in the holiday worlds of old. Now you've probably wondered where holidays come from. If you haven't, I'd say it's time you begun…_

_Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange? Just come with the residents in this grotesque place, a look of terror will come over your face as you behold things of fright you've never seen….in this…the town….of Halloween._

Walking through the shadowy graveyard….grotesque silhouettes appeared on every bleak tombstone. The pointed, ebony gates were staked with jack-o-lanterns, and even the very pumpkins themselves seemed to scream in the dead of night.

The wispy, pallid ghosts led the way to a simple house, up to the bedroom. There dwelled the one hiding under the bed, with the teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red. Then down to the first floor where the one hiding under the stairs lived, his squiggly fingers like snakes and raven-colored spiders in his hair. Even the living room did not seem safe, for within the couch, clock, and wardrobe awoke the three vampire brothers. One with long white hair and chocolate eyes, the next with black locks and emerald-colored orbs, and the last a peculiar pointed mass of brown hair with dark eyes, all saying the same three words:

"This is Halloween…this is Halloween…" The brothers, Ryo, Duke, and Tristan, slid out of the grotesque house. "In this town…we call home…everyone hails to the pumpkin song…"

Upon his megaphone-equipped hearse, Mayor Arcana with the swivel expression face, grinned madly and cried, "In this town, don't we love it now? Everyone's waiting for the next surprise!"

The vampires continued, "Round that corner, man hiding in the trash cans, something's waiting now to pounce and howl, you'll—"

"SCREAM!" a demon-like creature, Zorc, sprang from the can, terrifying a stray black cat.

The werewolf known as Rafael grinned, showing his razor-like teeth. "This is Halloween."

"Red and black, slimy green!"

"Aren't you scared?"

"Well, that's just fine," the two witches, Mai and Serenity, flew from the sewers, cackling madly as they sang, "Say it once, say it twice, take a chance and roll the dice! Ride with the moon in the dead of night!"

Inside the hollow of the hanging tree, there dwelt the Clown with the tear away face….said to appear in a flash and go without a trace. It seemed that no scary person, creature, or abstract thing was left unacknowledged, for even the "who" when you call "who's there?" the wind blowing through your hair, and the shadow on the moon at night had a place in the town where everyone hailed to the pumpkin song.

A deadly guillotine dropped, slicing a pumpkin in two, making a frightening little boy named Leon beam admiringly. "Tender Lumplings everywhere, life's no fun without a good scare!"

His equally queer parents appeared, dragging him by a leash.

"That's our job," said Pegasus.

Cecelia added, "But we're not mean…in our town of Halloween."

Driving through the town, Arcana again called, "In this town, don't we love it now? Everyone is waiting for the next surprise!"

They dragged a humanoid figure dressed as a scarecrow along on a wooden horse, chanting,

"The king of our pack may catch you in the back and scream like a banshee, make you jump out of your skin!"

"This is Halloween! Everybody scream! Won't you please make way for a very special guy?"

As the residents neared the town's well, a snake-like structure oozing with green liquid, the figure on the horse grabbed a torch and set his own clothes on fire, swaying about and making several people scream.

"Our man Yami is King of Halloween….everyone hail to the Pumpkin King! This is Halloween!"

Finally, the burning man, or possibly creature, leaped into the well, disappearing beneath the queer waters and extinguishing the flames.

Little Leon leaned over the edge, murmuring, "In this town…we call home…everyone hail to the pumpkin song!"

The chanting continued as the ghoul Yami rose from the pond, now dressed in a black, ripped tuxedo and bat-like bowtie. He ascended gracefully from the pool, smiling ghoulishly and waving to the throngs of chanting on lookers…..until the performance was finally over.

While the other residents cheered….SHE watched the Pumpkin King shyly from behind the hanging tree, blushing slightly as she clapped….she, being Tea, the doll created by renowned Doctor Kaiba to service his every need and whim. She was a beautiful girl with chocolate-colored hair, stitched white skin, and large sapphire-colored eyes, dressed in a simple rag dress.

Although Tea had seen their leader many times before, she always found herself gasping dreamily every time she beheld Yami. He was a little taller than her with ghostly pale skin, dark-rimmed crimson eyes, spiked tri-colored hair, and a muscled yet exceedingly slender build. His voice was deep and haunting, sending pleasurable shivers down the girl's spine every time he spoke. This held true now more than ever.

"Great Halloween, everybody!" Yami grinned, stepping off the fountain. "I believe it was our most horrible yet! Thank you, everyone!"

Arcana shook his head, his face mask shifting to its happy position. "No. Thank YOU Yami. Without your brilliant leadership…."

"Not at all, Mayor."

Tristan playfully clapped the Pumpkin King on the back, saying "You're a real scream, Yami!"

Mai gushed, "You're a witch's fondest dream!"

The younger of the two witches, Serenity, clung flirtatiously to the ghoul's arm. "You make walls fall, Yami…."

"Walls fall? You make the very mountains crack, Yami!"

Just as Tea was about to step forward to give her timid congratulations, a strong hand roughly grabbed her arm. Holding tight to the doll, the wheelchair-bound Dr. Kaiba hissed,

"The deadly nightshade you slipped me wore off, Tea."

The brunette tried to yank away. "Let go!"

"You're not ready for so much excitement."

"Yes, I am!"

Turning his motorized chair around, the doctor began rolling back towards the lab, tacking his creation with him and saying,

"You're coming with me!"

Tea's eyes narrowed defiantly. "No, I'm not!" she pulled on a stitch and her fall leaf-stuffed forearm came loose, allowing her to escape from Dr. Kaiba and pounding on his head to distract him.

Meanwhile, Yami was nervously backing away from his adoring fans.

"Ooh, Yami…" the sea monster Vivian crooned. "You make wounds ooze and flesh crawl!"

The spiky-haired young man put defensive hands up. "Thank you…thank you…thank you very much!"

"Hold it!" the mayor shouted into his megaphone, catching everyone's attention and giving Yami the chance to slip away. "We haven't given out prizes yet! Our first award…" Arcana handed a grotesque trophy to Duke, "….goes to the vampires for most blood drained in a single evening. Our second…."

Sighing, Yami slipped around the corner and began walking towards the graveyard, a distant expression on his handsome face. He walked by a street band and tossed a coin into their jar.

"Nice work, Dark," said one of the players, calling Yami by his nickname.

"Yeah….I guess so…" the Pumpkin King forlornly replied. "Just like last year….and the year before that…..and the year before that…."

Tea sat on a stone ledge, trying desperately to keep the leaves from falling out of her half arm. She gasped when she heard the gate squeak open and hid behind a tombstone, not wanting anyone to see her in her dismembered state…..the current person in particular.

Scratching his chin thoughtfully, Yami slid through the squeaky gate and began walking amongst the countless graves. He went to a small doghouse and whistled for the creature who lived inside. Large eyes widening curiously, Yami's pet, the furball of fright known as Kuriboh, popped out of the little house. He floated into his master's arms, wiggling excitedly and insinuating that he wished to play. Smiling in spite of himself, Yami pulled a small bone from his chest pocket and began throwing it for his pet.

As the game of fetch commenced, the Pumpkin King began talking, partially to Kuriboh, partially to himself.

"You know….there are very few who deny that I am the best at what I do…..and that my talents are renowned far and wide. When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night….I excel without putting up much of an effort."

Still playing with his pet, the Halloween Ruler began hopping gracefully on top of the graves, using them like stepping stones as he continued,

"With the SLIGHTEST little effort of my ghost-like charms….I have even driven grown men to let out a shriek."

He landed between two stone statues, his slender body swaying about spookily. "With a wave of my hand and a well-placed moan….I have terrified the bravest of people."

Yami's blood-red eyes grew sad as he went and put a tired arm around the statue of a wailing man.

Yet year after year it's the same routine," he murmured, "and I grow SO weary of the sound of screams." Then, putting on a frightful voice, "And I, Yami the King of Halloween….have grown so tired….of the same old thing…."

Worried and heartbroken by her secret love's distress, Tea crept forward to listen while he adjourned up the spiral hill.

"Somewhere deep….inside of these bones…I can feel an emptiness growing. I know there must be something out there far from my home….a longing that I've never known."

Sensing his master's sorrow, Kuriboh squeaked sadly and buried his fuzzy face in the man's chest. Yami absently stroked his pet's fur and muttered,

"I'm the master of fright…a demon of light….I'll scare you right of your pants. It's true, I'm known from Kentucky, all the way over to England and France. I don't think ANY animal or man can scream like I can…." His attempt to cheer himself up failed when he remembered, "but who here would ever understand that I've grown tired of my crown? If they only understood….I'd give it all up if I only could…."

Tea gasped and hid when the ghoul looked her way suspiciously, then began making his way down the unfurling spiral hill.

"There's such an empty place in my still heart….it calls out for something….something unknown."

Yami made his way into the spindly trees that made up the forest, his black-clad soldiers sagging and his spiky hair drooping sadly as he murmured,

"All this fame and praise I get year after year…..does nothing for these empty tears…."

Brushing crystalline tears from her sapphire eyes, the brunette stood up and watched the depressed Pumpkin King wander into the trees.

"Yami…." She murmured forlornly, placing a hand over her heart. "….I know how you feel…." She made her way over to the graveyard's growth of deadly nightshade and began picking some for her stash

Back at the laboratory, the brunette tiptoed on her delicate, slender legs over to the cabinet, pulling down her "Deadly Nightshade" jar and stuffing the plants inside. Hearing the robotic sounds of a wheelchair, the doll quickly put the jar away and slammed the cupboard shut turning around and perching on the counter.

"Tea," Dr. Kaiba called, wheeling down the ramp which led to the upper chambers of the lab. "You've come back."

"I had to." The blue-eyed beauty replied coldly.

"For this?" he held up her arm which waved at her.

"Yes."

"Shall we then?"

A few minutes later, Tea was strapped to the operation table while the doctor carefully sewed her limb back on. The room they were in was a queer, creepy place, dimly lit and filled with test tubes, hands in jars, and other strange devices.

"That's twice this month you've slipped deadly nightshade into my tea and run off," Kaiba scolded.

"Three times," Tea grinned mischievously.

The doctor's eyes narrowed, pointing the needle irritably at the girl as he snapped, "You're mine, you know! I made you with my own hands!"

"You can make OTHER creations," the brunette pointed out.

Kaiba stared at her incredulously and she cried,

"I'm restless! I can't help it!"

"It's a faze, my dear, it'll pass," Dr. Kaiba patted her arm soothingly, cutting the thread with his teeth. "We need to be patient. That's all."

Tea sighed miserably and murmured, "But I don't WANT to be patient…."

She truly did not. She was so sick of waiting…..of hiding timidly in the shadows while the rest of the world passed her by…while YAMI passed her by. And now, she knew his deepest feelings and darkest secrets….and if the doctor did not stop hiding her away from the world, there was no way she would ever be able to help her dear King of Halloween.

**Well, here's the first chapter! I hope you liked it and please review! I know it's a little weird, but please don't flame me. Nightmare is my favorite movie and Yugioh is my favorite show so I really wanted to fuse them together, especially since Halloween is next month. **

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS**


	2. What's This?

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS **

**Chapter two is up! Now to answer the reviews…**

**Aqua girl 007: Thank you for your advice! When I first started writing this, I wasn't sure if I should keep the exact dialogue or try to change it, so you answered a question that's been plaguing my mind for a while now. Also, I like the idea of a Shadow Game in this…**

**Dany14-black8: Gracias!**

**MutantEnemy6789: Thanks! I'm thrilled that you like it!**

Yami trudged wearily through the dark forest, rubbing his slightly throbbing temples while Kuriboh squeaked excitedly around his legs. The sweet-natured fuzz ball bounced around, begging his master to play with him.

"Oh, Kuriboh, not now….." Yami sighed. "I'm not in the mood….."

Nevertheless, Kuriboh continued his begging until he finally received a smile from the Pumpkin King.

"All right…." He took the familiar bone from his pocket. "Here you go, boy."

The creature squealed happily as Yami threw the object, snatching it in his furry mouth before flitting back to follow his master.

The red-eyed ghoul sighed heavily and murmured, "What am I doing….? What am I….searching for…? Guess I'll know…when I find it…"

At dawn the next morning, Mayor Arcana drove up to Yami's house, casually greeting the street band as he exited his vehicle. The early morning sky was a thin sheet of gray clouds, allowing only slivers of sunlight to break through. _"Such a lovely day…" _Arcana thought contentedly as he opened the black metal gate with bars molded to look like a jack 'o lantern, and began walking up the precariously-built steps. _"We have so very much to cover…I'm thinking maybe next year we could do something perhaps…Egyptian themed. With mummies and curses? Oh, how splendidly terrifying that would be!"_

Humming a spooky tune, the mayor ascended the crooked staircase to the Halloween Ruler's queer house and rang the screaming, spider-shaped doorbell. While he waited, he threw another cheery wave to the musicians before ringing the bell again.

"Yami? You home?" he called.

No answer.

Arcana's mask switched to its unhappy expression and he rapped on the door, just below the knob painted to look like an eyeball. Gathering his papers more securely in his arms, the mayor swiveled his expression back to cheeriness and called,

"Yami? I've got the plans for next Halloween. I need to go over them with you so we can get started."

He dropped the papers and cursed to himself. "Sweet jumping jack 'o lanterns….Yami, please! I'm only an elected official here, I can't make decisions by myself!"

Arcana grabbed his handheld megaphone and shouted up at Yami's tower, "YAMI! ANSWER ME—AAAAAAH!"

The Mayor fell backwards, rolling clumsily down the steps and landing at the gate.

"Um…" began one of the street musicians. "He's not home…."

"Where is he?" the mayor groaned, his red suit dirty and his hat crooked on his head.

"He hasn't been home all night."

Yawning drowsily, Yami came to and founds that he was still wandering through the forest, only now it was dawn.

"Oh….where are we….?"

Kuriboh squeaked dubiously as his master murmured,

"I've never seen this place before….it seems to be someplace new."

The now fully-awake ghoul made his way curiously into a circle of trees and gasped in wonder at what he saw. Each thick trunk had a differently shaped door on it—shapes he had never seen before. Looking around, Yami gasped when he beheld a particularly shiny door. It was shaped like some strange type of tree, and covered with what the Pumpkin King thought were glittery, pupil-deprived eyeballs.

Walking slowly toward the door, Yami reached out, turned the knob, and opened it to reveal…nothing. He peered around inside but saw only pure blackness. Kuriboh squeaked with confusion and the ghoul turned to shrug at him….right before he was dragged into the hollow by some chilly, unseen force.

Yami yelled frightfully, falling through a blue, swirling vortex into the unknown. Eventually, he realized he had stopped falling and was now sitting, so he opened his eyes…..and shook his head in complete wonder at the sight. The ghoul was sitting on a mound of cold, white stuff which covered every square inch of space in the area. The mound led down to a village filled with color, twinkling lights, music, and a sweet smell very similar to candy.

Yami grinned, showing his slightly pointed incisors, and leaned forward on his hand to get a closer look. When he did so, he gave a little yelp as his hand pressed into the white substance, pulling out a mound of it in his palm. Shrugging, the spiky-haired man took a bite from it—it was very cold, yet somehow pleasant.

Yami leaned forward again, watching with fascination as a colorful, quaint little train appeared on a set of tracks. Small people slid around a tree that looked much like the door to this amazing world, using metallic shoes to push themselves along on a platform that looked like frozen water.

The enthralled Pumpkin King finally leaned over too far and went rolling down the chilly, pallid hill, slamming into a pile of snow. His head popped out, covered in the white flakes and he murmured,

"What IS this? I've never seen such color….such….animation."

Standing up, Yami reached out with his pale fingers and caught a particularly large snowflake. The ghoul examined the object's intricate design until he heard a group of villagers singing. Not wanting to be seen, he quickly hid behind what looked like a man made out of snow and watched with interest as the creatures passed.

They had rosy cheeks and plump bodies, laughing and singing while they frolicked passed him. Another group came by, this time riding a large toy that resembled a bear and The Halloween King followed them noiselessly.

They eventually stopped at a field of snow. Two went to work building a fort while the remaining creatures began rolling the white substance into balls. Once both tacks were complete, the two teams began throwing the snowballs at each other, laughing cheerfully as they did so.

Yami though confusedly, _"These children…they're throwing snowballs instead of heads…? And all of them seem to be alive too…no mummies, zombies, or vampires in sight!"_

He made his way back to the village, grabbing a green and red umbrella and playfully fingering a string of multi-colored lights as he went. Yami then peered through a frost-covered window, gazing at the boy and girl inside. They seemed to have just finished hanging a berry covered plant from the ceiling and the girl leaned over, blushingly pressing her pink lips against the bashful boy's cheek.

"They kiss?" Yami murmured, cocking his head curiously at the thought. "How unique…"

The ghoul made his way to another window and beheld an elderly lady reading to her two grandchildren. Chestnuts roasted over a warm, crackling fire while a penguin slept peacefully on a pillow beside it. He wiped away the frost to better see two more creatures in the background. They seemed to be hanging tiny lights and objects on one of those queer trees.

"How fun!" Yami grinned, climbing up the side of a house and onto the roof. Was this what he had wished for? He hung upside down and opened the window, quietly climbing into the room behind it. It was filled with sleeping children—two on each bunk and two slumbering inside open drawers. The Pumpkin King peered under the bed, searching for any fellow ghouls, but none were present.

"_This town must not have a good nightmare business if they let their ghouls skip work…" _he thought, climbing to his knees to get a better look at the slumbering child.

She was a little girl with a head full of golden curls, wearing an adorable light-pink nightgown. She clutched at a teddy bear, her cheeks rosy and little chest rising and falling in the rhythmic pattern of a peaceful sleep.

"_What a beautiful living child…" _the ghoul thought, absently playing with one of her golden locks. _"Somehow…I don't WANT to leap out and scare her."_ Yami then surprised himself by leaning down and planting a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead, somehow thinking that it felt natural. Utterly confused, the Pumpkin King dashed out the window and the child opened her sky blue eyes, sitting up and convinced that she had just felt a cold pair of lips touch her warm skin.

Yami made his way along the side of what looked like a workshop until he reached a long strand of garland. He placed the hooked handle of the umbrella on the leafy rope and slid down it, landing face first in a pie stall. The ghoul licked the cherry from his face and laughed, gasping as the sound escaped his pallid lips. For the laugh…was one of joy, not the usual deranged cackle of a frightening ghoul…and he rather enjoyed it.

Leaping onto the tiny train, Yami murmured, "I've never felt so good before! I want this…I want this for my own!" he jumped off the locomotive, striding across the snow and demanding, "WHAT IS THIS?"

The ghoul ran smack into a pole, falling onto the white ground. Looking up groggily, Yami's blurry vision cleared and he realized he had run into a sign—a sign which read,

"Christmas Town?"

Suddenly, a door from the workshop opened, and the Halloween creature gasped, hiding behind the pole as a round man's shadow was cast on the wall. The man laughed in a jolly manner and several people called out what sounded to Yami like,

"Sandy Claws? Hmmm…."

Back in Halloween Town, the residents were standing around, worriedly chatting about their leader's disappearance.

"This has never happened before," said the creepy Clown.

Mai nodded. "It's suspicious."

"It's peculiar," added Serenity.

"It's SCARY," finished the three vampires.

None too patient, Mayor Arcana pushed his way through the crowd, earning a growl from Rafael as he climbed on top of his vehicle.

"We've GOT to find Yami!" he shouted into the microphone. "There's only 365 days left until next Halloween.

"Three sixty-four," the werewolf corrected and everyone sweatdropped nervously.

"Is there anywhere we've forgotten to check?"

The Clown shrugged and replied, "I've looked in every mausoleum. I know Yami likes to skulk around in there sometimes, but I didn't see him."

"We opened the sarcophagus," the witches added. "Yami says he likes to pretend he's an ancient pharaoh mummy…but he doesn't seem to be doing that today."

Another grungy character stepped forward, his foot stuck in a sizable pumpkin. "I trumped through the pumpkin patch."

"I peeked behind the Cyclops's eye!" Ryo interjected, popping out his own eye and placing it back in to prove his point. "I did! But he wasn't there…."

Growing panicked, Arcana shouted, "IT'S TIME TO SOUND THE ALARMS!"

Locked in Professor Kaiba's kitchen, Tea gasped when she heard the meowing cat alarm. She glanced out the window, but had no way of telling what was going on. Sighing in defeat, the girl started back to making lunch…and gasped when she remembered her secret tool.

Tea went over to the cabinet and pulled out a jar of Deadly Nightshade. She dumped some into the pot, cringing as its foul odor rose up into a skull-shaped wisp of steam. The doll grabbed another can, murmuring,

"Frog's breath will overpower any odor…"

Tea opened the jar, letting the amphibian peek out and belch into the soup.

"UGH! BITTER!" the girl gagged, staggering over to the cabinet and searching frantically through the various spices. "Worm's Wart! Oh, where is that Worm's Wart!"

Tea finally found what she was looking for and poured it into the pot, sighing in relief when the putrid smell dissipated.

"TEA!" the doctor called from upstairs. "Is that soup ready yet?"

"Coming!"

The doll entered to find her creator intensely examining some x-rays.

"Lunch!" she announced sweetly, setting the bowl down in front of him.

"What's that?" Kaiba swished the spoon around thoughtfully. "Worm's Wart! Mmmm! And…..Frog's Breath?"

Tea's heart lurched. "What's wrong? I-I thought you liked Frog's Breath."

The doctor rolled his eyes, saying, "Nothing is more suspicious than Frog's Breath! Until you taste it, I won't swallow a spoonful."

"I'm not hungry," the girl waved her hand dismissively, knocking the spoon from the man's hands. "Oops!"

She leaned down to pick it up, grinning as her plan commenced perfectly. The doll pushed aside the dropped spoon and pulled one filled with holes out of her sock while her creator ranted,

"YOU WANT ME TO STARVE? An old man like me who hardly has enough strength as it is….to whom you owe YOUR VERY LIFE?"

"Oh, don't be so silly," Tea dipped her spoon in and allowed the liquid to leak imperceptivity through the holes, bringing it back up to her mouth and pretending to drink.

"Mmmm! See? Scrumptious!" she set the bowl back down and the doctor began to devour it greedily; completely unaware that she had tricked him once again.

Exhausted from rigorous searching, Arcana and the other lay sprawled out over the hearse.

"Did anyone think to dredge the lake…? The Mayor muttered.

The others groaned.

It was at that very moment that they heard a distant squeaking noise.

"Here that?" Mai cupped her ear.

"What?"

"Shhhhhh!"

Finally, the source of the noise came into sight and Ryo grinned.

"Kuriboh!"

The little fuzz ball squeezed his plump body through the gate and pressed against the lever on the other side, raising the grate….and allowing Yami to come inside. He was riding a queer green and white vehicle hauling a gigantic canvas bag.

All the creatures of Halloween Town whooped with joy and rushed towards him, the witches picking up Kuriboh and the scary children climbing into the ghoul's lap as he pulled to a stop.

Face shifting to its happy position, the mayor exclaimed, "Where have you BEEN?"

Ruffling the undead kids' hair, Yami shot back, "Call a town meeting and I'll tell everyone all about it."

"Uh….when?"

"IMMEDIATELY!"

**There's the second chap! Hope you liked and please review! I'm going out of town for the rest of this week and most of next week, so I will not be able to update. I MIGHT be able to update next week, but I don't know for sure. I promise I'm not abandoning this story and will add the next chapters as soon as I can.**

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS **


	3. Explaining Christmas

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS**

**Chapter three! I was able to get an internet connection at a café today but I don't know when my next one will be so I'm uploading the third and fourth chapters.**

**Dany14-black8: Gracias! I will try to add some more YamixTea scenes but I'm not really sure where I'm going with this fic lol.**

**Aqua girl 007: Thanks!**

**MutantEnemy6789: Thanks, I am having a good time on my trip!**

**ImmortalAngel92: OMG…I'm so sorry! I can't BELIEVE I forgot to include Yugi in this! Okay, scratch the part about Mokuba being Barrel, because Yugi is now Barrel and I'm changing Barrel's part in the movie. Again, sorry Yugi! Oh, also I've un-centered the story. Sorry it was hard to read!**

**Sailorblaze: I'm not sure if Yami Marik will appear in this, but now that you've mentioned it, I may cast him as one of Bakura's lackeys.**

**TO EVERYONE: As I said above to Angel Yugi is now Barrel instead of Mokuba. I'm SO sorry that I forgot to include him. I did the casting for this fic at about 2 A.M, so I guess my brain decided to go to sleep while the rest of me was awake!**

Tea grinned excitedly when she heard the mayor announcing that it was almost time for the town meeting. Rushing into her simple, cell-like bedroom, the doll ran a cat-shaped brush through her chocolate locks, ensured that all her stitches were properly in place, and went to pay one last visit to the doctor. He was in a Nightshade-induced coma, snoring peacefully on his desk as the girl gently patted his head, and slipped out the door.

When the brunette arrived at the meeting hall, it was already crammed with the Halloween Town residents. Witches, vampires, ghosts, and ghouls all swarmed eagerly into the dilapidated building. Clown even accidentally slammed into Tea, laughing maniacally as he rode his unicycle to find an empty seat. Unable to find a place to sit, Tea was much obliged when the Hanging Tree offered her his branches.

It was not long before the Pumpkin King appeared on the stage, his fang-like incisors gleaming in the spotlight as he grinned ghoulishly.

"Listen, everyone! I'm going to tell you about Christmas Town."

The creatures all leaned forward, waiting in eager anticipation.

"The objects there were so peculiar….but they were amazing! I've never seen anything like it! Please believe me when I tell you…..wait, let me just show you…"

Yami pulled on a cord, raising the curtain on the stage behind him. In response, the audience let out a collective gasp. For on the stage, there was a rather scraggly-looking Christmas tree with a few wrapped boxes beneath it.

Almost immediately, the crowd erupted with questions and the ghoul held up a pale hand to silence them. He lifted one of the boxes and explained,

"This is a thing called a present. It's a box wrapped in paper with a bow on top."

"A bow?" Mai flew up on her broomstick, followed by Serenity, and they both tried to grab the present. "It's so ugly! What's in it?"

"You're not supposed to know!"

"It's a bat!" Clown guessed.

Rafael cocked his head. "Is it a rat?'

Vivian, a female sea monster, flexed her dark scales and muttered,

"Maybe it's the head I found in the lake…?"

Yami sighed. "I'm afraid you don't QUITE understand….here, pay attention." He picked up a stocking and displayed it for everyone to see. "You, see….all you do is pick up an oversized sock and hang it on the wall."

"Oooh!" the three vampires swarmed around the article, each trying to peer inside.

"Does it still have a foot?"

"Let me see!"

"Is it rotted and covered with gook?"

"Uh….allow me to explain," the ghoul sweatdropped. "There's no…foot inside, but there's candy and occasionally small toys."

Little Leon's eyebrows went up above his stitched eyes. "Do the toys bite or snap? Or maybe they explode!"

Manning the spotlight, Arcana grinned enthusiastically, saying, "What a wonderful idea! This 'Christmas' sounds fun….we should try it!" In his excitement, the mayor nearly fell off the ledge, knocking the spotlight around and practically blinding the audience.

"Everyone, please!" Yami held his hands out to calm them. "Slow down! I'm afraid you're not quite grasping the concept…."

Confused, the crowd began anxiously chattering amongst themselves. Tea watched their leader sympathetically, wishing she could help him make the others understand the concept. Why couldn't they see that it didn't have to be shivers and screams all the time?

Yami sighed and murmured to himself, "Well, I may as well give them what they want."

The lights grew dim, making the young man's crimson eyes glow, their black rims standing out even more against his limpid white skin and his fangs gleaming ever-so-slightly as his lips twisted into a grin. He stepped spider-like into the aisle, his ghoulish smirk widening as he continued,

"I must confess….I have saved the best for the last…" his already hypnotic voice grew playfully dark. "You see….the ruler of this Christmas land is a FEARSOME king with a deep mighty voice. Red as blood, he has great big arms and carts bulging sacks atop his ravenous reindeer." The ghoul leaped back onto the stage, talking ominously with his back to the crowd. "On a dark night under a full moon….he flies into a fog like a vulture in the sky!"

Yami turned around, earning a delightedly frightful gasp from the audience. His crimson eyes were narrowed into slits and his fangs gleamed fully in a Cheshire Cat smile.

"And they call him…Sandy Clawssssss….." he dragged out the "S" like a vicious viper and shrank back into the shadows as the curtain closed and crowd cheered.

Walking back to the Christmas tree, he shook a small snow globe and murmured, "Well….at least they're excited, but they just don't understand…."

"Um….Yami…?"

Said king turned to see Tea rather timidly approaching him.

"Why, Tea!" he smiled cheerily. "It's been quite some time since I've seen you. Tell me, are you fearfully excited about this terrifying Sandy Claws?"

The girl blushed slightly and nervously bit her lip, murmuring, "It's okay, Yami. I know that you were trying to give everyone a different impression of this 'Christmas'."

The ghoul froze. _"She knows…? Out of all these people…Tea is the one who has at least a little understanding of that special feeling of Christmas?"_

The doll placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Don't lose hope….just give them a little time. I'm sure they'll figure it out."

With that, Tea left, her cheeks burning furiously as Yami thoughtfully scratched his head.

That night, Yami dug through his bag of goodies he'd brought home from Christmas Town and began decorating his room. He hung garland on the gargoyle curtain rods and strung multi-colored lights all around. When the ghoul finished, he slipped into his soft pajamas and slid into bed beside a large stack of books, contemplatively surveying the chamber. He now had lights strung everywhere, including the spider web on the wall. A small Christmas tree covered in sparkly ornaments had been erected and Kuriboh slept in his bed beneath it, holding a candy cane in his furry mouth.

Flipping though one of his books, Yami muttered, "There's GOT to be a logical way to explain this Christmas thing…." He pulled out a thick novel entitled, "The Scientific Method".

The next morning, Dr. Kaiba awoke with a throbbing migraine and knew immediately what the cause was. Holding an icepack to his head, he roughly shoved Tea into her room, hissing, "You've poisoned me for the last time, you wretched girl!" and locking the door behind him.

No sooner had he done so than the doorbell rang, sending a jolt of pain through his skull.

"Oh, my head…" the doctor wheeled to the top of the ramp where he could look down at the entryway. "The door is open!"

"Hello?" the Pumpkin King cheerily stuck his head through the door.

"Yami!" Kaiba grinned welcomingly. "Up here, kiddo!"

Tea perked up from her prison at the beloved name.

The ghoul made his way up the ramp, carrying a small, black bag. "Doctor, I need to borrow some equipment."

"Is that so?" Kaiba arched an eyebrow. "Whatever for?"

"I'm conducting a series of experiments."

The doctor smiled approvingly as the young man drew closer. "How perfectly marvelous! Curiosity killed the cat, you know."

Yami grimaced. "I know."

"Come on into the lab and we'll get you all fixed up."

Listening through the door, Tea murmured, "Hmmm….experiments…?"

Kuriboh was snoozing peacefully in his bed, candy cane protectively by his side, when he heard the familiar voice,

"Kuriboh! I'm home!"

Yami strode purposefully up the spiraling staircase to his bedroom, walking over to a clear space and setting the bag on top of it. He took out a plethora of items—test tubes, microscopes, magnifying glasses, potion bottles…everything he would need to "dissect" Christmas.

Using a pair of tweezers, the ghoul carefully plucked a berry from a sprig of holly, placing it on a glass slide and zooming in on the microscope. Unfortunately, the berry was not "microscopic", so it only succeeded in bursting and breaking the glass slide.

Unabashed, the Pumpkin King attached an electric generator to a metal, liquid-filled bucket and dropped a candy cane inside. He then reached in with a pair of tongs….and cocked an exasperated eyebrow when he pulled out a candy can that now resembled a noodle.

Yami sat in a chair and studied a guide on how to make a paper snowflake. With a pair of scissors, he cut rapidly through the paper and unfolded it to reveal….a paper spider web. After this epic fail, he took a scalpel and carved open the chest of a teddy bear, confusedly examining the fluff inside. _"They use fluff to stuff their toys instead of bugs? How strange…"_

Even when it grew dark outside, the Ruler of Halloween was still diligently working, determined to uncover the secrets behind Christmas. Kuriboh watched him with a sleepy, exasperated expression as he took an ornament and smashed it into a potion vile. Upon making contact with the glittery glass, the liquid began to glow fluorescent green.

"Interesting reaction," Yami murmured. "But what does it MEAN?"

In her cell, Tea was excitedly working, putting together an encouragement basket to give to Yami. She knew that he was feeling a little discouraged….so she decided to give him a gift that would hopefully inspire him. Corking a bottle and placing it in the basket, the girl attached a string from her sewing machine to the handle, opened the metal grate window, and lowered the package to the ground below. She glanced apprehensively at the ground, then at Yami's tower which was glowing green from The Pumpkin King's ornament potion.

Smiling confidently, Tea closed her eyes…and leaped from the balcony. The street musicians cringed as she landed on the ground with a sickening thud, her stitched arm and leg coming off. Her sapphire eyes opened and she looked up at the window, then got to work sewing herself back together.

After the doll was once again whole, she picked up her basket and strolled off. Meanwhile, Dr. Kaiba stepped into her bedroom, saying,

"You can come out now if you promise to behave…..Tea…? Tea?" he growled and threw his lantern to the ground, shattering it into pieces. "GONE AGAIN!"

Secluded in his tower, Yami was writing out an elaborate algebraic problem that somehow amounted to "Christmas". Standing back, he scratched his unruly hair contemplatively and gasped when something tapped against the window. The ghoul turned, seeing a basket hanging on his rope dumbwaiter and opening the window.

He looked down to see Tea standing below, a timid smile plastered on her lips. Grinning, Yami waved and took the basket from the hook. The ghoul set it down on the window sill and began rummaging through its contents. There were a few fascinating scarab skeletons, and a scroll filled with Egyptian death incantations—he figured that Tea knew he was fascinated with the Egyptian concept of death and afterlife.

Finally, the Pumpkin King lifted the bottle and took out the cork. From its cylindrical depths rose a wisp shaped like a butterfly which flapped its wings once before dissipating. Yami gasped in wonder and looked to the ground below….only to see that the provider of his gifts was gone. Concernedly hesitating, the ghoul slowly closed the window as Tea sunk down to the ground against a wall outside his gate.

The girl breathed a blissful sigh. It had been so wonderful just to see the wonder on Yami's face….she just couldn't bear to ruin that by risking saying something silly and making a fool of herself. Absently, the brunette plucked one of the thistles from the ground and began picking off its petals.

"He loves me….he loves me not….he loves me….Oh!"

The plant's leaves receded and small branches took their place, followed by green leaves, tiny ornaments and lights, and a golden star on top. The tiny Christmas tree spun once…then abruptly burst into flames.

Tea gasped in horror. Did this mean that…Christmas….was not meant to be?

The doll fell asleep by that wall and was awoken the next morning by the three vampires.

"Something's up with Yami…" Ryo muttered.

Tristan gasped worriedly. "Do you think we'll ever get him back?"

"I don't know…" Duke replied, shielding his skin from the morning light. "….but let us get out of this sun."

Officially worried, the doll stood up and went over to another group of people.

"What's going on? What's wrong with Yami?"

"He's locked inside up there, all alone," Rafael explained.

"He hasn't said a word…" Cecelia murmured.

Leon's face contorted even more with fear. "I hope he hasn't died!"

Tea's hands grazed over the bars, staring forlornly at her love's tower.

Pacing about, Yami mutterd, "Oh….Christmas time will NOT let me be! It's buzzing around in my head…I just….can't seem to grasp SOMETHING…."

The ghoul sat down at his desk, placing the top set of cards atop his card tower. His white fingers thoughtfully traced the edge of the paper, causing the entire structure to collapse. Sighing, he pushed himself back on the wheeled chair, rolling around the room and murmuring, "Ugh! There is SOMETHING here I just cannot get! WHAT DOES IT MEAN?"

He got up from a chair and went over to where he had a gingerbread man, tiny fire engine, and yoyo in suspended animation. "I am so confused by all of this….the dolls, the toys, the trees, the lights….Oh, confound it all….but I love it!"

The Pumpkin King picked up a doll from his mantle and shook it, as if it could give him some answers. In the end, the toy failed to do so and he threw it to Kuriboh, who glanced at the doll sleepily, then back to his master as if to say, "Do you MIND?"

Yami climbed on his bookcase ladder and pulled "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" off the shelf, absently flipping through its pages. "I've read these Christmas stories over and over again…" he muttered. "I feel as though I have all of them memorized….but something's wrong and I can't seem to put my finger on it!" He collapsed exhaustedly onto the bottom rung of the ladder….and gasped when his pet brought him something.

Squeaking excitedly, Kuriboh showed his master a picture in his mouth—the one of Yami in his King of Halloween uniform. The ghoul gasped, saying, "Is it really….THAT simple…?" He thought for a moment until he imagined himself dressed in a Sandy Claws suit, hat and all, with a present in his pallid hand.

Grinning with ecstasy, Yami leaped onto his ladder, sliding across the shelf and exclaiming,

"Unbelievable! It's been RIGHT in front of me THE WHOLE TIME!"

He slid over to his tree and ripped the lights off it. "Why should those Christmas Town people have all the fun? There's no reason I can't handle it! I bet I could make it even better too, and that's EXACTLY what I'll do!" the ghoul slung the lights onto an electric chair and pulled the lever, cackling madly as the bulbs crackled and sparked.

Throwing open his window, Yami shouted to the people below, "I have an announcement, everyone! This year, Christmas will be OURS!"

The frightening residents cheered rambunctiously….while Tea's heart lurched with worry—for if her vision came true….Christmas would most definitely go up in smoke.

**Hope you enjoyed the third chapter and please review! I hope to have another internet connection soon, but I'm not sure exactly when that will be….until then, I'll be working on the chapters!**

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS**


	4. Trio of Troublemakers

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS**

**Here's chapter four!**

The citizens of Halloween Town gathered anxiously outside the city hall building, each waiting to be called for their Christmas task.

"Patience, everyone," Mayor Arcana said reassuringly. "Yami has a special job for each of you. Dr. Kaiba!"

Tea gasped in horror at that name, leaping out of line and hiding behind a wall. The aforementioned doctor wheeled himself forward, stopping briefly to look around for his escaped doll before moving on.

Inside, the three blood suckers had just arrived at the front of the line and were curiously examining a baby doll. It was a strange little device that made a contented cooing sound every time one tilted it backward.

Ryo cocked an eyebrow. "What kind of noise is that for a baby to make?"

"Perhaps it can be improved?" Yami said hopefully.

"No problem!"

"I knew it!" The ghoul beamed as his companions left then greeted his newest visitor. "Doctor, thank you for coming." He pulled out a book with an illustration of reindeer on the inside of the cover. "We need some of these. Think you can do it?"

"Hmmm…." Kaiba tilted his glasses to better see the creatures, muttering, "Their construction should be exceedingly simple, I think."

Standing at the podium, Arcana's revolving face was all smiles. "How horrible our Christmas will be!"

"No…" Yami shook a finger. "How JOLLY."

"Oh…" the mayor's face twisted to the displeased expression. "How JOLLY our Christmas will be…." His forlorn afterthought was interrupted by a few bone shards being thrown at his head. Growling, Arcana looked down….and gasped at who he saw. "What in the name of sweet smashing pumpkins are YOU doing here?"

They were three ghoul children, no older then twelve—the first, Noah, was a boy with bluish green hair, grayish skin, and blue eyes dressed in a demon costume; the second, a girl with stringy blonde hair, white skin, and clutching a creepy-looking teddy bear, was named Rebecca and was dressed in a witch outfit; the third, a pale boy known as Yugi, had spiky tri-colored hair much like Yami's, large purple eyes, and had on a shirt with bones to make him look like a skeleton. This child seemed somehow different from the other two, lacking the look of malice in his large eyes.

"Yami sent for us specifically by name," Noah grinned impishly.

Rebecca nodded. "Noah, Rebecca, and Yugi! That's us! Now whaddaya want?"

"Yami…" Arcana muttered out of the side of his mouth. "It's Bakura's kids…."

Ignoring the anxious mayor, Yami went right to the ghouls, smiling as if they were his closest friends.

"Ah….Halloween's finest young ghouls." He gathered them close to him so that no one else could hear. "The job I have for you is TOP SECRET. It requires craft, cunning, MISCHIEF…."

Rebecca snickered. "And we thought you didn't like us, Yami…" all three ghouls burst into sadistic cackles.

Resisting the urge to reply "I don't", Yami fixed the children with a firm look and said, "Absolutely NO ONE is to know about it. NOT A SOUL. Now…"

Curious, Arcana placed his megaphone to his ear and attempted to listen. It seemed that something was clogging the device, so he reached inside, and yelped in pain when his spider bowtie bit his finger. Annoyed, Arcana whacked the arachnid and placed it back on his shirt, muttering Halloween curses under his breath.

"….and one more thing," Yami grabbed Noah by his cloth demon tail as the child attempted to run off, picking him up and glaring at all three kids. "Leave that no account Bakura OUT OF THIS!"

"Whatever you say…Yami" Noah smiled innocently.

Rebecca mimicked her cohort's antics. "Of course, Yami, we wouldn't DREAM of it."

Licking a black and orange swirled lollipop, Yugi resisted the urge to cock a confused eyebrow at his companions. He didn't know what they were thinking….but he knew it couldn't be good.

The trio of trick-or-treaters left, headed for their tree house….or more appropriately, their tree LAIR. They crawled under the gate and crossed over many hills, walking along a rickety wooden bridge until they reached a cage that served as a lift into the tree house.

As soon as the trio was inside, they turned to each other and simultaneously asked,

"Kidnap Mr. Sandy Claws?"

Noah grinned. "Yep….that's what he's basically saying needs to be done. I wanna do it!"

"Idiot!" Rebecca smacked her comrade in the head with her grotesque teddy bear. "We're SUPPOSED to work together!"

Yugi faltered, saying, "Wait, you guys….shouldn't we think about this? I mean…. What if he doesn't want to come with us?"

Noah and Rebecca stared at him incredulously.

"As if we're giving him a choice?"

"Oh…" the amethyst-eyed boy silently followed his companions into their lair.

When they opened the door, millions of cockroaches scattered. Simultaneously, one of the many dark spirits that lived within the haunted house appeared, cackling malevolently in its dark, wispy form. It flew towards the three children, its jagged mouth widening into a ghoulish smirk.

Giggling sadistically, the blonde ghoul pulled out what APPEARED to be a normal urn…..but was far from being just that. It was a cursed object, one designed by the darkest witches of Halloween Town as a ghost-catching device—for ghosts could easily fly into the object…..but could only come out again if they were released by someone else.

Sure enough, the evil spirit attacking Rebecca was abruptly sucked into the urn, trapping it helplessly within its cylindrical confines.

"THIS should be a suitable snack for HIM." The girl laughed. "Oh, there's nothing I love more than tricking a big, bad ghost into thinking he's found helpless prey…..only to spring a nasty trap on him!"

Noah grinned, his electric blue eyes sparkling devilishly as he said, "DO IT."

With one last psychotic cackle, the blonde threw the urn down a tube leading to the deep underground catacombs. The urn eventually landed in a lightless room…..and a dark figure approached it with a sinister grin on his pale face. He sucked the spirit from its confines and the ghost struggled to get away from what it knew was its inevitable oblivion.

The blonde and green-haired ghouls laughed uncontrollably as they listened to the spirits terrified shriek. Yugi, on the other hand, had to suppress a cringe. He hated Master Bakura's feeding time—there was nothing worse than listening to those poor ghosts being assimilated by the demon.

"Now then," Rebecca sighed contentedly, "enough fun. On to business…..how are we going to go about kidnapping Sandy Claws?"

Noah's lips twisted into a cruel smile. "I say that we take a cannon and blow him to smithereens!"

"Idiot!" Rebecca rolled her turquoise eyes. "We can't blow him up! Yami needs him!"

"Guys…" Yugi began, grimacing as he heard Bakura emit a loud belch and saw the urn being thrown back through the opening of the pipe. "We have to think logically about this! I don't wanna hurt him…."

"Don't wanna hurt him? Ha!" the green-haired boy backed his less-confident lackey against their walking bathtub and roughly shoved him over the edge. "Don't be such a wuss, Yugi!"

Sputtering from the filthy water, Yugi reached under the murky surface and unplugged the drain, smiling slightly as the water vanished. For he knew that in three….two….one….

"OOOMPH!" the other two kids leaped in, landing on the hard porcelain instead of water. Yugi couldn't help but let out a ghoulish cackle as he said,

"Listen, you two. If we do this right, Yami will be so pleased by our success that I bet he'll reward us!"

"WHO CARES?" Rebecca sat up groggily, rubbing her aching head. "All we care about is getting a reward from Master Bakura….and so should you! Doing this 'right' to please Yami….I think you're going soft!"

"I am not!" the spiky-haired twelve-year-old cried, steering the tub into their weapons chamber. Of course, from the others' perception….he was. While they couldn't stand him….Yugi looked up to Yami, as did the other residents of Halloween Town.

Noah cocked a green eyebrow as he pulled a spike-covered club from the wall. "Prove it then! Let's see you pick a scary weapon!"

Yugi silently groaned and went to the wall. His purple eyes glanced over the plethora of lethal objects…..and he finally selected a bear trap.

"That?" Noah got Yugi in a headlock. "That's the most pitiful attempt I've ever seen!"

"H-hey! Get offa me!"

Pulling a deadly-looking axe from the wall, Rebecca smirked. "You guys are SO dumb…"

Noah grinned. "You're one to talk."

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

"Guys, I've got something," Yugi offered, trying to prevent an all-out war between his two comrades. "Why don't we just trick him into coming to the door….then grab him?"

"That's—" Rebecca arched a honey-colored eyebrow thoughtfully. "Actually not a bad idea. Let's do it!"

"Yeah!" Noah finished tossing weapons, traps, and other unpleasant objects into the bathtub…..and the trio of tiny kidnappers took off into the forest.

From his dark catacombs, a Cheshire grin spread across Bakura's face.

"Sandy Claws, huh?"

Mimicking the sadistic smile, Bakura's right hand man, Marik, I slightly insane ghoul, snickered, saying,

"This person has your interest, does he?"

"Indeed he does…."

Back in Halloween Town, Yami was busy instructing the musicians. Holding up a string of bells, he explained,

"It goes something like this…." The ghoul expertly tapped out the tune to Jingle Bells. "You got it?"

The band mimicked the tune….but it came out sounding painfully off-key. Of course….to the people of Halloween who regularly listened to grotesque music, it sounded beautiful,

"Well done!" the Pumpkin King clapped as the band walked off. "Why don't you all practice on that and we'll be in great shape."

The next person in line was none other than….

"Tea…" Yami smiled welcomingly. "I need your help more than anyone's."

The doll's eyes grew fearful, thinking back to the flaming Christmas tree. "You certainly do, Yami. I had the most terrible vision!"

"That's wonderful!"

"No. It was about your Christmas! There was smoke…a-and fire…"

"That's not my Christmas!" the ghoul began digging through a chest of holiday goodies. "My Christmas is filled with laughter and joy…and…this!"

He pulled out his old King of Halloween portrait and showed the girl his new costume. "This is my Sandy Claws outfit. I want you to make it."

"Yami, please listen to me!" Tea pleaded. "It's going to be a disaster!"

Thinking she was talking about the suit, Yami brushed the thought away. "How could it be? Just follow the pattern, see? This part is red….the trim is white…"

"It's a mistake, Yami!"

"Now don't be modest!" the ghoul's crimson eyes shone with the utmost innocence. "Who else is clever enough to make my Sandy Claws suit?"

As Arcana called out for the next person, Yami gently placed his hand in the small of Tea's back and urged her along, murmuring, "I know you'll do great. I have EVERY confidence in you."

Sighing, the doll walked away, gazing down at the Christmas rendition of the Halloween King. "But it seems…..so wrong to me…"

Next in line was the werewolf. Smiling, Yami picked up an object, saying, "This device is called a nutcracker, and—"

"Yami! We got 'em! We got 'em!"

The trio of ghouls came in, carting a large sack in their walking bath tub.

"Fantastic job!" Yami grinned as he approached them. "Open it up!"

Noah undid the tie keeping the bag closed….and out popped a pink rabbit.

"Wha—" the Pumpkin King's eye's widened. "That's not Sandy Claws!"

The children looked just as confused.

"It isn't?"

"Who is it?"

The rabbit hopped over to Rafael…..who began salivating at the thought of an early lunch.

"Mmmmm…..rabbit…."

The pink bunny shrieked in terror and leaped back into its sack, making the entire closed bag tremble visibly with fear.

Trying hard not to unleash his wrath upon the three careless kids, Yami kneaded his forehead with stressed fingers and growled,

"Take this poor creature back…"

"We followed your instructions!" Noah protested. "We went through the door!"

"WHICH DOOR?" the ghoul hissed, pulling out a Christmas tree shaped cookie. "There's more than one! Sandy Claws is behind the door shaped like this!"

Rebecca's eyes narrowed and she grabbed Noah by the neck, shaking him violently and saying, "I told you!" while Yugi attempted to stay out of the brawl.

Finally….the Pumpkin King's patience failed him. The room seemed to darken as Yami's blood-like eyes glowed, enhanced by their ebony rims, and his fangs gleamed viciously. He unleashed an unearthly snarling shriek, scaring the three youngsters into a state of absolute shock.

Casting a final glare at the young ghouls, Yami glanced at the shivering bag and murmured,

"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, sir. Take him home first and apologize again! Be careful with Sandy Claws! Treat him nicely!"

"Got it!" Rebecca grimaced as they hurriedly sped out the door. "We'll get it right next time!"

Before tackling the reindeer project, Dr. Kaiba was beginning to work on a new female partner to replace the one he'd lost. Swiveling through various styles of heads, he muttered,

"You will be an improvement over that treacherous Tea."

"Master!" Joey, the doctor's none-too-bright assistant trudged into the room, carrying a handful of papers. "The plans."

"Excellent, Joey," Kaiba smiled, throwing the blonde boy a bone biscuit.

The blue prints had finally arrived….and now Dr. Kaiba could begin working on a vital piece of their plan….to take over Christmas.

**Well….I know Yami wasn't in this chapter as much, but at least I finally included Yugi LOL! Hope you liked it and please review! Had to re-upload it because i messed up on something, so sorry if I left out anything. Again, I will return to this story as soon as I can get another internet connection.**

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, OR YUGIOH ABRIDGED.**


	5. One Day 'till Christmas

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS**

**Finally! A semi-reliable internet connection! Hopefully, I'll be able to update more often now….anyway, time to answer the awesome comments…..**

**MutantEnemy6789: Thanks, I'm glad you liked my extra YamixTea scene! Oh, and I love Kingdom Hearts and have been nearly writing "Sora" instead of "Yami" the whole time during this fic lol…. Yugi will be different than Barrel at the end.**

**Aqua girl 007: Haha…I was just as surprised as you were that I was able to update! Thanks for commenting positively on my changing of Barrel's role to better fit Yugi, because I wasn't sure how that would go over.**

**Sailorblaze: Haha…sorry, I thought you meant Yami Marik lol. I'm glad you like the part anyway.**

**ImmortalAngel92: I love your character dialogue reviews! Thanks, by the way, for not letting me forget Yugi because I would have been REALLY annoyed with myself if I had left him out.**

It was only thirty-five days until Christmas…..and the Halloween Town residents were hurrying to finish preparations. Ghouls carried wrapped boxes, witches strung lights, goblins erected Christmas trees, ghost hung ornaments…..every scary person had his or her own job to carry out and was doing so with the utmost enthusiasm.

An anxious expression on her stitched face, Tea's cerulean eyes focused on the stitching of Yami's santa suit, while Leon and Serenity began "improving" some of the toys from Christmas Town. This meant, they were hammering the toy car flat and chopping the head off the doll with a miniature guillotine. Mai stirred a steaming cauldron while Vivian swam about inside the spooky brew.

At another work table, the vampire brothers were re-designing a toy duck. They added bullet holes, sharp teeth….and a nasty disposition.

"Isn't this wonderful?" Ryo smiled, sticking black bow on top of a gift. "I just know the children will adore the mice I've wrapped for them!"

"Of course!" Duke smiled. "As well as the spiders I'm giving them."

Meanwhile, Rafael and Mayor Arcana were using a saw and chain to finish the construction of a possessed doll. It was a sinister-looking thing with blood-red lips, sadistic eyes, and razor sharp teeth.

Rafael pointed. "Hey look, there's Yami!"

Said ghoul stepped down his precarious steps and into the midst of the workers.

"I don't believe what good fortune has come upon me…" he breathed. "All my hopes, dreams and fantasies….they're all coming true!"

Yami's lips twitched upward slightly, and he finally gave into the urge to unleash one of his best ghoulish cackles.

Zorc, the goblin, smirked proudly while using one of the street musicians as a mannequin.

"They'll be so impressed," he grinned, hammering a dead mouse before inflating it and placing it on the musician's head. "See? Just like that I've transformed an old rat into a stylish hat!"

Yami appeared behind the goblin, wrapping an encouraging arm around the creature's shoulders.

"You have my complements on your hat….perhaps you would consider a bat instead of a rat though…."

He moved over another table where a man made of ooze was attempting to wrap road kill.

"Oh, no, this could not make a present," the ghoul corrected, taking the deceased turtle and nonchalantly watching its head fall off. "You see….it's been dead for a bit too long. Why don't you try something fresh and pleasant? Don't give up!" he put a reassuring hand on the creature's gooey head and abruptly got his hand stuck in the ooze.

While this illegitimate holiday planning was commencing in Halloween Town, the REAL Christmas elves were busy with their own work. They baked wonderfully intricate cookies, stuffed stockings full of candy, and created cheerful toys.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kaiba gave the signal and Joey pulled a lever, shooting electricity through the skeleton reindeer and bringing the ghastly animals to life. Ducking to avoid a bolt of electricity, the doctor grinned triumphantly, polishing a skull that he planned to use for yet another one of his projects….

Contrastingly, the elves were busy polishing Santa's sleigh. The flesh and blood reindeer pranced eagerly about, while another elf constructed the delightful jack-in-the-boxes. (A.N: In my opinion, the creepy jack-in-the-boxes. The giant one in the third Harry Potter movie STILL visits my nightmares.)

Grinning creepily, Clown prepared their own jack-in-the-boxes, these filled with jack 'o lanterns and raven-colored cats. Pegasus fed bow-decorated skulls into a gigantic snake….and was nearly eaten himself by the gargantuan serpent. Yami directed a crane lifting a coffin over to a set platform, grinning excitedly as he watched the ghosts fill it with presents.

This coffin would serve as the illegitimate Sandy Claws's sleigh and the creatures began filling it with countless grizzly gifts.

Yami cackled ghoulishly and cried, "It's Christmas time! Hahahahahah!" as if to answer, he was greeted by his new skeleton reindeer. Now….it was only one day until Christmas.

Back in Christmas Town, Santa Claus was busy checking his list twice.

"Miho….Mako….Mokuba…yes, Mokuba's been nice," Santa smiled approvingly at the list in his hand. "Nice….nice…naughty….nice, nice, nice…there's hardly any naughty children this year!"

The Jingle Bells doorbell rang, interrupting the jolly old man from his perusal.

"Now who could that be?" he walked to the door and was greeted by three queer-looking children, who cried,

"Trick-or-Treat!"

"Huh….?"

Without any explanation, Noah, Rebecca, and Yugi threw a bag over Santa's head.

Tea stood with Yami before a tall mirror, sewing the remaining white fringe onto the santa suit while he posed in it for her.

"You don't look anything like yourself, Yami…."

"I know!" the ghoul grinned. "It's wonderful, isn't it?"

The girl sighed. "But you're the Pumpkin King."

"Not anymore!" Yami grabbed his old Halloween costume portrait and broke it in half on his knee. "I feel so much better now!"

Resuming her sewing, Tea murmured, "Yami….I know you feel as though something is missing…but—"

"Ow!" he yelped as she accidentally stabbed his finger with the needle.

"Oh! I'm sorry…." The girl grabbed his hand and pressed a spare piece of cloth to the finger to stop the bleeding. As she applied the gentle pressure, Tea looked up into Yami's eyes and nearly gasped when she did so.

Those crimson orbs were so beautiful, sparkling cheerfully as an amused smile played on his lips. "It's all right, Tea…." He murmured, his haunting voice entrancing her and his face so close she could feel his cold breath. "It's only a prick….I'll live."

Tea blushed and muttered meaningless nothings, frantically searching for something, anything, to break the awkward moment.

"Yami…." She began, picking up a plant with gold berries on it and holding it up for him to see. "I've been meaning to ask you what this is. It was hanging on a wall earlier and the vampire brothers kept trying to get me to walk underneath it. Why is that?"

Yami's pale face went red as she held the berries up higher. "It's, uh…" the Pumpkin King searched frantically for words. "That's called mistletoe. When a guy is underneath it with a girl….he's supposed to kiss her. It's a tradition."

"Wha?" the doll's cheeks burned furiously, appalled at how she'd managed to go from one embarrassing situation to another. She began attempting to think of SOMETHING she could say to spare her true love the humiliation, for people very rarely fell deeply in love and kissed in Halloween Town.

The ghoul, however, appeared to be….smiling. He leaned forward, his lips inches away from Tea's and murmured, "Well…..we have to respect tradition, don't we….?"

"I…" the doll felt as if her heart had stopped, not believing what was about to happen…..but desperately hoping it WOULD happen.

Yami leaned in, closing his eyes slightly. Tea closed hers as well and could almost feel his soft lips touching hers…..

"YAMI! WE FINALLY GOT 'EM!" Yami whipped around, as Tea blushed furiously and slipped away, suppressing a small giggle.

Noah, Rebecca, and Yugi approached the now red-faced Pumpkin King, who was clearly unappreciative of having his Christmas kiss interrupted.

"He's so big, Yami!" Yugi squeaked.

Rebecca nodded and pulled on the elastic keeping the bag closed. "And…HEAVY!"

"Let me out!" Santa emerged from the bag, his hat over his eyes and candy stuck in his white beard.

"Sandy Claws. In PERSON…" Yami breathed. "What a pleasure to meet you!" he gasped when he took the old man's black-gloved hand in his. "Why….you have hands! You don't have claws at all!

Pushing the hat from his eyes, Santa gasped and looked around at his grotesque new surroundings. "W-where am I….?"

"Are you surprised?" The Pumpkin King grinned proudly. "You don't have to worry about any holiday thing this year. Consider this a vacation, Sandy! It's your turn to take it easy!"

"B-but…." The red-clad man looked utterly confused. "There must be some mistake…."

Yami stood back for a moment, remembering Tea's words that something was missing. "Of course!" he grabbed the hat from Santa's head and placed it upon his own unruly hair. "THAT'S what's missing!"

Before Santa could protest, the three ghouls who had kidnapped him closed the sack over his head and began carting him off again. "Where are we going now?"

While Yami practiced his Sandy Claws voice, Tea stood in the background, her delicate fingers dragging stressfully across her face as she murmured, "Oh, no….this is SO much worse than I thought….wait….I know what to do!"

The trio of kids strode alongside their walking bathtub, eagerly conversing about the next faze of the plan.

Worried, Yugi asked, "Where exactly are we taking him?"

"Whaddaya mean 'where'?" Noah scoffed. "To Bakura's, of course! There isn't anywhere on earth more comfortable than that! Yami wants us to make him COMFORTABLE….doesn't he….?"

"Yes, he does!" Rebecca grinned.

Santa's voice was slightly muffled as he said, "Haven't you heard of peace on earth and goodwill toward men?"

"NO!" the blonde and green-haired ghouls cackled cruelly….while Yugi could only sigh.

After sneaking back into the laboratory, Tea was able to retrieve a bottle of fog juice she kept stashed under the floor boards in her room. "This'll stop Yami…." She hated to do it….but it was for his own good.

The girl gasped when she heard the sound of a saw buzzing and soundlessly slipped past her creator in his experiment room. He had finished constructing the form of a woman and was gently stroking her delicate, featureless face.

"We'll have so much more in common…." He whispered eagerly, completely unaware that his previous creation had slipped past him once again.

Meanwhile, the three ghouls had brought Santa to their tree house lair.

"Don't do this!" the jolly man growled as they neared the transportation tube to the catacombs. "Naughty children never get any presents!"

"Wait, guys!" Yugi begged while his comrades attempted to shove Santa's round body through the cylindrical pipe. "Please, don't do this! I don't want Master Bakura to hurt him!"

"What?" Noah stared at the boy with a wild expression. "Traitor! How dare you speak such blasphemy against our master!"

"Never mind that!" Rebecca grunted, using a rake to try to force the man through the opening. "I think he might be too big!"

The green-haired ghoul went back to shoving. "Of course not! If he can fit down a chimney he can fit down here!"

"No, please!" Yugi begged, but it was too late.

With one final shove, Santa was forced down the tube, popping out many of the screws that held the thing together….until he finally landed in an ominously dark chamber. He looked around, struggling to move with his hands tied behind his back. The man gasped when a sinister laugh echoed throughout the dark chamber.

Out of the shadows….stepped the demon of Halloween Town, Bakura. He had pale skin, piercing chocolate eyes, and long, shaggy white hair styled into horn-like projections on the top. He wore gray pants and a faded blue-striped white shirt with a black trench coat over it. In all….he was an obvious villain.

"Well, well…" Bakura grinned, venom dripping off his alluring voice. "What have we here? YOU'RE the infamous Sandy Claws? You've GOT to be joking! Marik, can you believe this guy?"

Another figure appeared. He was a man with tan skin, ebony-lined violet eyes, and white hair that slightly resembled an artichoke. The most creepily striking thing about him, however…..was his utterly mad grin.

"This is the guy everybody's been talking about?" Marik let out a chilling cackle. "He's ancient AND ugly! I don't know which is worse!"

While his captors were busy insulting him, Santa took the opportunity to take in his new surroundings. He was in a dim chamber filled with gambling machines of all kinds and dice. Glowing red skeletons hung from chains and bright green bats squeaked at him from their upside down positions.

"Pay attention, old man!" Bakura snapped his pallid fingers. "You're not shaking….don't you know who I am? I am Bakura, the demon exiled from Halloween Town. Yami thought he could completely do away with me did he…? Well he was dead wrong!"

Marik unceremoniously dragged Santa to another part of the catacombs while the man resolutely commanded,

"Let me go, now! Have you no shame? The children are expecting me!"

"Ha! You're joking!" the tan ghoul snickered. "Shut up, I'm drowning in my tears! Do you honestly think Master Bakura is the SLIGHTEST bit intimidated by you, 'Sandy'?"

"Release me now!" the white-haired man pressed further as Marik strung him up on a hook by his bound hands.

"Oh, brother, you're something," Bakura sneered, slowly creeping toward his captive. "You clearly don't comprehend the position that you're in!"

Grinning evilly, the white-haired demon stepped forward and eerily whispered into Santa's ear, "It's hopeless, you see….you haven't got a prayer…..'cuz I'm the demon, Bakura….and you aren't going ANYWHERE."

Santa shivered as Bakura unleashed a psychotic laughed that bounced off every wall of the room and made its way back up the transportation pipe.

From their room, Noah and Rebecca cackled with uncontrollable sadistic glee….while poor Yugi sighed sadly and murmured,

"I'm sorry…."

**I would love to see what would happen if Yami Bakura and Yami Marik kidnapped Santa for real…..I hope you liked this chapter and please review! Internet is still sketchy, but I'll try to keep updating! By the way, I think after I'm done with this story I'm going to do a Revolutionshipping version of Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride. I was wondering which of the following you would like to happen:**

**a. The girl Yami is supposed to marry is hateful and he ends up marrying Tea, the corpse bride.**

**b. The same thing happens where he marries Tea, the live girl, and the corpse bride is at peace.**

**c. Or the corpse bride is evil and Yami still marries Tea, the live girl.**

**Whichever option gets the most requests will be the one I choose. **

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS**


	6. To All a Good Night

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS**

**Chapter six is up! Sorry about the slow updates, but I've been a lot busier than I thought I'd be…..I'm about ready to go home lol.**

**WinterD: Thanks! I love Yugi, he's SO adorable. Sorry about the distractions, I'll do my best to break the habit.**

**Aqua girl 007: Thanks, I am going to go with the A route and Vivian will be the evil human girl.**

**Sailorblaze: I love writing with Yami Bakura and Melvin as the villains XD! I agree that I would have liked to see the guy marry the corpse bride and I am going with option A.**

**MutantEnemy6788: Option A it is! I am looking forward to twisting the story. Thanks, the mistletoe scene was a ton of fun to write. LOL at your brother at the grocery store!**

**Dany14-black8: Gracias! I am very grateful for your early suggestion to add more YamixTea scenes! I am going with option A.**

**TO EVERYONE: Option A for the Corpse Bride it is! I'll get started on it when I finish this story.**

It was finally Christmas Eve. The Halloween Town residents were ecstatic—talking, laughing, wearing holiday party hats, and indulging in a general euphoria. Everyone was happy, save for Kuriboh, who had previously fallen into a bucket of glow-in-the-dark paint…..and Tea.

The doll snuck by the street musicians, who were playing an off-key version of "Here Comes Santa Claus", clutching her jug of fog juice. Guilt stabbing at her heart, she dumped the entire potion into the green fountain and released a wave of murky vapors.

Mayor Arcana grinned proudly while conducting the musicians, and when they hit the final note of their song, Yami rose zombie-like out of his coffin sleigh. He was fully dressed in his "Sandy Claws" suit and looking happier than ever. His face swiveling to the happy expression as he pulled out a speech written on aged parchment.

"Think of us as you soar, triumphantly, through the sky," the mayor read, "outshining every star…..your silhouette a dark blot on the moon. You, who are our pride, you, who are out glory, you, who have frightened millions into an early grave." Arcana squinted as the fog blew in like an ominous cloud. "You….who have….devasted the uh….souls of…..uh….the living!"

"Oh no," Yami sighed, barely able to glimpse his own pallid hand in front of his face. "We can't take off like this. The reindeer can't see an inch in front of their noses!"

Tea breathed a sigh of relief while Ryo muttered,

"This fog is as thick as….uh…"

"A swarm of scarabs!" Duke completed.

"Thicker!"

The Pumpkin King sat down in the coffin, kneading his forehead sorrowfully. "There go all my hopes, dreams, and plans….."

"There goes Christmas…." Leon whimpered, tears streaming down his face.

Kuriboh began squeaking urgently, trying to get his master's attention.

"No, Kuriboh….down boy…." Yami gasped and looked up, mesmerized by what he saw. Kuriboh's entire fuzzy body….appeared to be glowing. "Of course! The glow-in-the-dark paint! Get to the head of the team, Kuriboh, you will light our way!"

The fuzz ball did as he was told and the entire crowd cheered when Yami took off. He rode up the vertical ramp and into the ebony sky.

"Wait, Yami!" Tea cried frantically. "Don't do it!"

It was too late and the crowd parted to go to bed while the ghoul's excited cackles echoed through the night sky.

Weakly, Tea murmured, "Goodbye…..my dearest Yami….I only hope my vision proves to be false…." The doll walked down a lonely ally way past the musicians, who were playing a soft, melancholy tune.

_"I want so badly to be happy for him…" _the girl thought as she slipped her slender body through the bars of the gate. _"…but I can't help but feel like something terrible is going to happen…"_ She pressed her back against a stone wall and slid down to the cold, dry ground, welcoming a stray cat into her lap.

Stroking its raven-colored fur, Tea murmured, "Not that my concern matters….no matter how deep my feelings for him run….I know that I am not the one…."

While Tea mourned for what she was sure would be her true love's inevitable downfall, Yami was happily soaring through the sky with his skeletal reindeer led by a glowing Kuriboh. Peering through the soft blanket of clouds, the ghoul could see the Christmas light-covered houses below, each waiting for Santa to visit. Surely….they were all in for a rude awakening.

Laughing excitedly, Yami landed roughly on the roof of one of the houses, knocking a plastic angel over in the unceremonious process. The illegitimate Santa grabbed his back of goodies and leaped down the chimney. His slender body fit neatly down the narrow passage and he found himself in a quaint living room, lit only by the lights of a Christmas tree.

Walking over to the mantel, Yami began placing presents into each stocking. Scarab skeletons, candy corn, plastic tarantulas, and other ghoulish goodies he thought would make splendid stocking stuffers.

"Santa?"

The ghoul gasped and turned around to see a small boy staring at him with wide, surprised eyes.

"Merry Christmas!" Yami smiled, bending down and affectionately ruffling the child's hair. "What's your name?"

The boy stuttered but couldn't seem to come up with a discernable response. With some confusion, the Pumpkin King said, "That's all right. I have a special gift for you anyway." He pressed a wrapped box into the child's hands. "There you go, kiddo."

Cackling maniacally, Yami launched himself upside-down through the chimney, leaving the kid to gape in shock. His parents came into the room, asking,

"And what did Santa bring you, honey?"

Pale, the boy turned around…..and presented his parents with a shrunken head.

As Yami moved from house to house, the police station's phone rang.

"Hello. Police." The officer had to hold the phone away from his ear to avoid being deafened by the woman on the other end's shrieking. "Attacked by Christmas toys? That's strange….that's the second toy complaint we've had."

Urging the ghostly deer onward, Yami let out a chilling cackle that made the other Halloween citizens watching him in the looking well laugh as well. He made many other stops, delivering a fierce, hungry Reith to the house of an elderly woman, a man-eating cobra to a little girl, and the infamous creepy doll and bullet-hole duck to the home of two siblings.

As soon as he'd departed, the two children raced into the room and grabbed their presents, the girl cradling her doll and the boy eagerly examining his duck. No sooner had they done so…..than the toys came to life. The siblings screamed in terror, racing up to their parents' room and locking the door behind them while the duck quacked angrily and the doll chomped its deadly teeth.

All down the street, the ghoul dropped grizzly presents down the chimney and each recipient screamed in absolute terror at their gift. Yami, of course, thought they were screams of joy. In one home, two twin girls shrieked as a cloud of bats flew out of their chimney, a chubby little boy ran frantically on short legs while a sphinx jack-in-the-box pursued him, and general chaos broke out.

People began shoving couches in front of their fire places, chaining up doors, barring the windows, and turning fires up full blast, desperate to keep out this Santa Claus imposter.

At the police station, the phones were ringing off the hook, and it was all the flustered officer could do to answer them.

"Hello. Police. I know there's an imposter. You have a physical description? Blood-red eyes…..pale skin….wild hair….young….thank you, ma'am, we'll track him down as fast as we can."

Meanwhile, the news station was flooded with reports. A woman sat reading all the newly given information, her voice being projected through speakers and television broadcasts.

"Reports are coming in from all over the globe that an imposter is shamelessly impersonating Santa Claus, mocking and mangling this joyous holiday."

Listening in, the Halloween residents took these remarks as wonderful compliments and began cheering noisily while Tea strained to hear.

"Authorities assure us that units are mobilizing to stop the perpetrator of this heinous crime."

Tea gasped in horror. "Yami…..I've got to help him!" she stood up, azure eyes narrowed into a determined gaze. "Where'd they take that Sandy Claws?"

Alarms began blaring and bright beams of light shone in the sky, searching the sable clouds from the aforementioned imposter. Taking it as a good sign, Yami pointed,

"Look, Kuriboh. Searchlights!"

Then the guns rolled out—large, menacing looking machines that shot deadly missiles into the sky.

"They're celebrating!" the clueless Pumpkin King exclaimed. "They like it! This must be their thanks!"

Kuriboh yelped, narrowly avoiding a shot.

"Whoa! Be careful, you almost hit us! It's all right, Kuriboh, just go higher!"

Kuriboh squeaked doubtfully as if to imply, "Easy for you to say, you didn't almost get blown to pieces!"

In the catacombs, Bakura jiggled a pair of red dice in his hand, saying

"Do you like games, Sandy? Let's play!"

"Hey, boss, look!" Marik pointed at a nearby gate.

"Mmmm?"

A woman's slender, white leg snaked between the bars seductively and both sinister men practically salivated.

"My, my…" Bakura grinned. "What have we here?"" he and Marik both smoothed their white locks and headed over to the leg.

Meanwhile, a pair of delicate hands moved down the rope holding Santa, one of them clamping over his mouth and pointing upward. Tea waved handless arms at him from an opening in the wall, rolled a ladder down to the ground, and whispered, "I'll get you out of here!"

Tea cringed while her hands worked. She could feel Bakura running a hand along her calf and Marik tauntingly tickling her feet….but she endured it to set this man free. Unfortunately, right as Santa was untied…..the doll's leg slipped through the bars into the white-haired demon's hand.

"WHAT!" Marik cried incredulously "You DARE try to fool Master Bakura?"

Bakura, however, expressed his anger in a much more destructive way. His sinisterly handsome face morphed into a demonic, jagged-mouthed mask of terror and he let out a roar that sucked the two attempted escapees from the wall. Tea screamed in horror.

Yami continued to fly, looking over his lengthy piece of parchment.

"Let's see, who's next….Ah! Espa Roba and Zigfried Lloyd….won't they be thrilled!"

It was at that moment that the coffin sleigh moved over the silvery moon, illuminating the craft fully…..and vulnerably. The gargantuan cannons fired, taking off the skull of one of the reindeer and blowing a hole into the back of the sleigh. It was then that Yami realized….

"They're….they're TRYING to hit us! Kuriboh!

The puff ball whimpered fearfully.

Finally, the gun locked on to the center of the air craft…..and fired. The sleigh was blown to bits and as Yami fell to the cold, unforgiving earth below, he cried out,

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

The Halloween creatures stared in horror at the scene, not believing what they had just witnessed. Soon, however, shock turned to grief. Each person wept openly, Rafael letting out a pitiful, mournful howl.

Tears streaming down his face, Arcana climbed into his hearse and muttered,

"I knew this Christmas thing was a bad idea….I felt it in my gut." He started the vehicle and began driving through the town, delivering the horrible message through the megaphone. "Terrible news, folks. The worst tragedy of our times! Yami has been blown to smithereens! Terrible, terrible news!"

Likewise, a police officer was driving through the human world streets, calling,

"Attention, citizens. Terrible news. There's still no sign of Santa Claus. Although the imposter has been shot down, it looks like Christmas will have to be cancelled this year."

The children wept.

Meanwhile, Yami lay in a snow-covered graveyard, sprawled out in the arms of a concrete angel. His Santa suit was charred and ripped, his unruly hair a tangled mess, his handsome face smudged with dirt, and his body covered in bruises and scrapes. Worriedly, Kuriboh floated over to him and nudged him, trying to rouse the young man from his daze.

The ghoul sat up and buried his face in his hands, his shoulders trembling as he tried desperately to fight back the tears forming.

"What have I done?" he choked. "How could I be so stupid…..I've ruined everything!" he glanced around at the burning wreckage around him.

A few rebellious tears slid from the ghoul's crimson eyes, and he collapsed back into the angel's arms, murmuring,

"I should just….run away….hide myself from the world. By the time they find me….I'll be dust….disintegrated from the shame that's slowly eating away at me."

Kuriboh whimpered and rubbed against his master's hand.

Kneading his forehead, Yami said, "But….I never wanted ANY of this to happen…." He sat up, suddenly remembering, "I wanted to give them something wonderful! Something they'd never experienced before! I did my best!"

Kuriboh yelped in surprise when the Pumpkin King stood up, suddenly looking incredibly confident as he cried,

"Look at everything I got to do! It'll be a good story for them to tell a few years from now! And now I know…..I am the PUMPKIN KING! Nobody else!"

He ripped off the suit, revealing his old Halloween tuxedo and cackling ghoulishly. "I can't WAIT until Halloween! From now on, I'll give it my all!"

He gasped when his pet brought him Santa's hat, his large eyes looking worried.

"Oh no…..I've got to rescue Sandy Claws!"

**I know this chapter was a little more movie-based, but I couldn't really think of anything else to happen lol….Hope you enjoyed and please review! I'll update again as soon as I can!**

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS**


	7. A Halloween Shadow Game

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS**

**Here's the seventh and final chapter! I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it!**

**Dany14-black8: Gracias! I will get to work on the Corpse Bride as soon as I can.**

**Aqua girl 007: Thanks! I've had Sally's Song stuck in my head for about a week now lol….**

**MutantEnemy6789: Thanks! I love Kuriboh...  
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Tea's jaw grew tense, trying desperately to fight back the panic taking her over. She and Santa were tied up and lying atop a platform above a swirling abyss of lost souls of the Shadow Realm—the one place in the world of Halloween that everyone feared…..and not in a good way. The spirits and poltergeists howled forlornly, reaching their wispy fingers out of the depths to claim the souls of a girl and old man.

Turning to look at Bakura, Tea hissed, "You just wait until Yami gets here! When he gets a hold of you, you'll be lucky if—"

She was interrupted by the mayor's devastated voice booming from the loudspeaker all over town. "The King of Halloween has been blown to smithereens. Yami…..is now a pile of dust."

"What was that you were saying about luck, doll?" Bakura grinned cruelly as Marik cackled.

Tea's heart grew cold with shock. Yami…was gone….?

Yami burst out of one of the mausoleum doors, looking around with a determined gaze.

"Come on, Kuriboh! Christmas isn't over yet!"

The ghoul took off over the hills and through the graveyard, finally reaching, Noah, Rebecca, and Yugi's tree house. Upon reaching the drawbridge over the large chasm reaching down into the catacombs, he heard desperate cries.

"Help! Help! Please help us!"

The ghoul gasped. _"That sounds like Tea! What are they doing to her?"_ Frantically, he looked about and yelped in surprise when he was met by…..Yugi.

"What's going on?" Yami hissed, glowering down at the younger boy.

Yugi's violet eyes were wide with fear….but not for himself. "Yami, you've got to help them!"

"Help WHO? WHO IS DOWN THERE?"

"Tea and Sandy Claws! Bakura's got them!"

The Pumpkin King's jaw tightened with anger. "What does he want with them?"

Yugi looked ashamed as he replied, "What he ALWAYS wants with his prisoners—their souls. THAT'S where his power comes from. He can survive on already dead souls, like the ones that inhabit our house…..but his power grows stronger if he is able to assimilate living souls…..like those of your friends."

The boy's lip quivered slightly. "I'm so sorry, Yami….I begged them not to do it….but they wouldn't listen to me. You see, Noah and Rebecca are loyal to Bakura…..but I'm terrified of him. I just couldn't stand to hear him destroy two more innocent souls….so I locked the others in the weapon room in hopes that I could find you in time. They'll probably feed ME to Bakura if you're defeated….but I just couldn't take it anymore….!"

Crimson eyes softening, Yami knelt down and put a reassuring hand on the younger ghoul's shoulder. "It's all right, Yugi. You did the right thing. Now can you tell me how to get down there to them?"

Yugi quickly wiped his arm across his eyes and replied, "Yeah….if you climb down on the brambles beneath this bridge, it's about as good as using a ladder. Go. Save them."

With a determined nod, the Pumpkin King began climbing spider-like down a twisted vine. Along the way he could hear Santa's voice.

"This can't be happening!"

Clinging to the vine with one hand, Yami grabbed a barred opening and peered into the chamber on the other side. He could see Tea and Santa on top of the table while Bakura stalked tauntingly around them and Marik kept his hand on the lever that controlled the platform's incline.

The white-haired demon cackled. "Ashes to ashes and dust to dust!" he then clutched at his stomach in mock pain. "Oh….I'm feeling so weak….I need a few souls to satiate my appetite! One more roll of the dice oughta do it!"

Soundlessly, Yami slipped his thin body through the bars while Bakura rolled his pair of dice and threw them onto a table. They landed with ones on each die.

"WHAT? SNAKE EYES?" he pounded the table with his fist, forcing the dice to flip over to a five and six. "Eleven! Looks like I've won the jackpot!"

The villain gestured to Marik, who grinned and began cranking the lever.

"Bye-bye, doll face and sand man!"

Santa yelped and Tea screamed as the platform began to tilt, precariously leaning them towards the pit of the Shadow Realm…..however a familiar voice abruptly halted their descent into darkness.

"HOLD ON!"

Bakura gasped and Marik stopped cranking as Yami walked into the room, looking none-too-pleased. His jaw was set in a determined manner and his blood-red eyes burned with a fire of righteous anger that could only be quenched by the complete and utter defeat of his enemy. Kuriboh trailed at his feet, squeaking as fiercely as his shrill voice would allow.

"Hello, Bakura," his voice was low and had a dark gruffness to it.

"Yami!" the villain sneered. "They said you were dead."

"If I am," the ghoul growled, "then I'm an angel of revenge. I am only going to say this one time—LET MY FRIENDS GO."

"But, of course…that is, if you can win the Shadow Game!" The platform beneath Bakura's feet launched him several yards away from Yami and he called out, "Marik, tilt our friends upright and press the red button!"

Grinning madly, the dark skinned being did as he was told, setting the platform to fully support Tea and Santa and slamming his fist down onto a crimson, skull-shaped button. Yami stumbled forward as structures began rising up behind and around him, forming a large circle. In the middle of the ring, there was the pit of Shadows, making it so that only a narrow walkway was present to move around the circle.

The walls of the deadly ring were alternating gigantic statues of King of Spades cards with razor sharp daggers that appeared to lie flat, then strike out at certain intervals and skeleton cowboy gambling machines that would fire off their guns as each dagger spun. There were also numbers on each robot and card.

"Allow me to explain the rules…." Bakura grinned. "Each turn, one King of Spades will spin its daggers and one robot will fire its gun. You're task, is to figure out which ones will activate and make your way through the path. If you can successfully make it across, you win! If not, well…..I hope you like daggers and bullets!" both demons laughed sadistically.

"Fine," the spiky-haired young man snapped. "Game start!"

In response, Yami barely had time to leap out of the way before one of the guns went off. As soon as he had dodged that calamity, the daggers directly in front of him swung out and he fell backwards to avoid them._ "Ugh…this is a lot harder than I though it'd be."_ He clumsily dodged a few more relentless attacks….until one of the knives finally sliced a neat gash into his arm. Yami cried out in pain and Tea called out to him worriedly.

_"Grrr…There's GOT to be a way to determine which one of these cursed things will go off each turn!" _The ghoul looked frantically around….then caught sight of Bakura. He noticed that each turn, the demon would shake a pair of dice in his fist and throw them right before the cards and robots launched their attacks. Upon further inspection, Yami saw that one die was blue and the other was red—the number on the red one corresponded with the number on each card and the blue represented the robots. With each turn, the number on each die would set off the numbered traps.

"That's it!" Yami grinned triumphantly. "Yugi! I need you to look at each die and tell me what number is on each—the red first, then the blue! You've got to tell me the numbers!"

Peeking his head out of the barred window, Yugi nodded and zeroed in on the dice. He called out, "Three, eight!" the ghoul leaped forward as the daggers directly in front of him swung out and the robot directly across from him fired off its gun. Bakura swore angrily while Marik growled….but it was too late to do anything. Yami was almost through the path with a look of vengeance in his crimson orbs.

"AAAAGHH!"

Yami gasped in turned to see that Noah and Rebecca had appeared and had a firm hold of Yugi, dragging him towards the abyss of souls while Marik kept a threatening hand on the lever controlling the fates of Tea and Santa Claus.

"Now what, Pumpkin King?" Bakura grinned. "Lunge at me and Marik will drop the doll and Sandy into the pit. Go for Marik and Noah and Rebecca will throw Yugi in. Who will you sacrifice?"

The spiky-haired man growled, hatred plane in his ruby eyes. What could he do? He would never forgive himself if he let Tea and Sandy Claws perish….however, he could not let anything happen to Yugi either.

Bakura and Marik laughed psychotically and Yami was about to surrender…..when a bright beam of light suddenly blasted from the opening in the wall. It shone directly on Bakura, who, being weak against light, howled in agony and stumbled forward…directly into the shadow realm. Marik attempted to grab onto him, but only succeeded in falling in himself.

Unfortunately, Bakura refused to be taken by the lost souls without a fight. He rose up from the abyss, his demon form fully visible—he was a large ebony-scaled creature with blood-red eyes, dagger-like teeth, and vicious claws. Roaring fiercely, the creature reached out and attempted to drag someone, anyone, down with him. Yami grabbed his friends out of the way….and Noah and Rebecca were the ones grabbed by the gargantuan talons. They had been wrongly loyal to him in this dimension…..and now they would be loyal to him in the world of shadows.

With the villains defeated, Yami and Yugi began helping the two prisoners out of their binds. Santa huffed and straightened his tangled white beard while Yami tentatively approached him.

"Please…forgive me, Mr. Claws. I'm afraid I've made a terrible mess of your holiday…." The ghoul took out Santa's hat.

Snatching the article away, Santa snapped, "Bumpy sleigh ride, Yami? The next time you get the urge to take over someone else's holiday, I'd listen to her!" he pointed to Tea who blushed. "She's the only one who makes sense in this insane asylum! Ghouls….and demons…."

"I, uh…" the ghoul fumble for words. ""I hope there's still time."

"To fix Christmas? There's ALWAYS time! I'm Santa Claus!" the red-clad man pinched his nose and rose up into the pipe leading out of the catacombs, dissolving into a cloud of glitter.

The Pumpkin King could only gape in shock. Tea tentatively approached him and lightly touched his hand. "He'll fix things, Yami. He knows what to do." She gasped when she saw the blood on his arm. "You're hurt!" The doll tore a piece of cloth from her rag dress and began gently binding the wound.

Gazing at her intently focused blue eyes, Yami inquired, "How did you get down here, Tea?"

The girl finished wrapping the cut and went bright red. "Well, I wanted to….I was trying to…to…"

"To…help me." The ghoul completed.

"I couldn't let you just—"

"Tea…" Yami placed a tender hand on her cheek, turning her face to look up at him. "I can't believe I never realized that you—"

"YAMI! It's you!" Arcana peered out of the opening in the wall. It appeared that he was the source of the light that had defeated Bakura, holding a large, blinding flashlight. "Kuriboh led me to you! I thought it was too good to be true….but you're okay!" he rolled a rope ladder down into the chamber. "Grab a hold, my boy!"

Yami grabbed Tea's hand in his, and just as he was about to take hold of one of the ladder's rungs, glanced over at a timid-looking Yugi.

"You coming?"

The boy looked shocked and began stammering, but the older ghoul cut him off.

"You're free of that monster now. Come with us! Your home is in Halloween Town!"

For the first time in countless years…..Yugi's face lit up in a genuinely happy smile and he followed the others up the rope.

Back in the human world, news broadcasters were eagerly reporting that the real Santa Claus had returned. He set every bit of chaos straight—giving the little boy being chased by the sphinx jack-in-the-box a candy cane; the siblings being attacked by the duck and doll a teddy bear and toy boat; and the little boy with the shrunken head a puppy. Indeed, everything was set straight….and Christmas was quite memorable.

Likewise, everyone in Halloween Town was woken up by the eager announcement from Mayor Arcana's megaphone that Yami was back. Mai and Serenity rose up, stumbling blindly about in their sleeping masks while Vivian struggled to climb out of the lake. Rafael ran around, howling excitedly as the hearse pulled up to the town hall building.

Waving to the cheering crowd, Yami grinned down at Leon who was hugging his waist joyfully, picking him up and tossing him once into the air before placing him on the mayor's broad shoulder.

"It's great to be home!"

Suddenly, the sound of jingle bells rang through the midnight sky and cheery "ho ho ho's" followed. Everyone looked up to see Santa's sleigh soaring through the air.

"Happy Halloween!" the jolly man shouted.

Smiling, the Pumpkin King waved and called, "Merry Christmas!""

As the sleigh passed, a gentle sprinkle of snow began to fall over Halloween town, coating everyone and every thing in a soft blanket of chilly white fluff.

"What IS this?" Leon inquired curiously.

Shaking the frigid flakes from his fur, Rafael replied, "It must be a Christmas thing."

"How strange…." Arcana's face was in the somber expression….but when he stuck out his tongue to catch a snowflake, his face swiveled to joy.

The vampire brothers began playing ice hockey with a pumpkin while Vivian and the witches made snow angels. A snowball hit Yami square in the nose and he chuckled, glancing over at the culprits—Leon and Yugi. He then turned to see a rather surprising sight.

It seemed that Dr. Kaiba had finished his latest project—another doll, a little older than his previous with blue eyes and long white hair.

"Careful, my precious Kisara," Kaiba murmured, gently stroking the girl's hand. She smiled lovingly and wheeled him along in his chair.

The ghoul gasped and looked over to the gate leading to the graveyard…..just in time to see Tea squeezing through the bars, a thistle clutched in her hand.

Quietly, the girl made her way into the graveyard and up the spiral hill which was now covered in a layer of sparkling snow. She sat down on her knees and began thoughtfully plucking the petals from her thistle…..but halted when she heard a familiar voice.

"My dearest friend…." Yami made his way up the hill, smiling as he went. "Do you mind if I join you?"

The doll smiled and stood up, beckoning to him welcomingly. The ghoul made his way up the white-blanketed hill and stood beside her, gazing out at the full moon.

The doll turned towards him and murmured, "You know, Yami….I think I finally understand these 'Christmas traditions'."

"Mmmm?" the Pumpkin King faced her questioningly.

In answer, Tea smiled and held a sprig of mistletoe over his spiky head. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and pulled away just as speedily, looking shocked at herself and more than a little embarrassed.

"Oh…I-I'm sorry, I…."

The ghoul tilted her chin to look up at him, his crimson eyes filled with….affection. "I'm not."

"You mean….?" The girl's heart skipped a beat.

"Isn't it obvious, my dear? We are simply…meant to be."

Yami leaned in and captured her lips in his. He snaked his toned arms around her slim waist as hers went around his neck, deepening the kiss. Finally, they broke apart and stared into each others eyes, sapphire gems locked with ruby orbs. Grinning, the ghoul gave her another quick peck on the lips and brought her against his chest, staring out at the star-filled Christmas sky.

"Yami…." Tea murmured, looking up at him with love-clouded eyes. "If you knew then what you know now…..would you do it again…?"

Yami gazed down at her, eyes sparkling playfully as he leaned his forehead against hers and replied, "Wouldn't you?"

**The End! Hope you liked and please review! In case I didn't insinuate it very well, Yugi was adopted by Leon's family. The ending lines came from the epilogue in the Nightmare soundtrack. I will get to work on The Corpse Bride in a few days, but I need to watch it again and I don't have it with me…fortunately, I am going home tomorrow. Thank you for all of your awesome comments and advice! By the way, my apologies to any fans of Noah and Rebecca (as well as Yami Bakura and Melvin). They're not dead, though, they're just in the Shadow Realm.**

**I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH OR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS**


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